Connecticut lifestyle portraits of children and families
Do you have memories of going to Sears to get a family photo taken? For a long time, professional photographs meant posed portraits in front of floral or textured green backgrounds, with the photographer adjusting every hair off of a child’s face and asking the family to smile together. I think that these photographs say more about a child’s willingness to sit, or a parents willingness to bribe :), than anything else. All posed portraits, even those taken outside, have a certain feel to them, a camera awareness that changes the mood of a photograph. I always do some of these in a photo session, because it’s really nice to have a photo or two of your whole family looking at the camera.
But posed portraits are limited. They simply cannot capture the personality of a child and the memory of what it was like to have a child who was only one, or three, or five, or thirteen. Lifestyle photography, which is what I do, captures the magic of childhood. It’s not just smiles towards the camera, but also moments when the camera is forgotten and a child can just be. It’s moments when you and your child are interacting with each other as you do on a daily basis, and the touches, kisses, and silly faces that you exchange constantly, sometimes not even consciously. I love waiting for those moments! Lifestyle photographs work well in a series or in a book, because they capture a range of emotions and behaviors that paint a picture of what life is like right now in your family. They feel a bit photodocumentary, and they celebrate a happy reality, not an idealized or perfect one. So let your daughter be stubborn, silly, spontaneous, let your son try one more cartwheel and wear dad’s shoes, and let’s get some really great photos that will help you to never forget this age.